Fuel cell modules, comprising a fuel cell cartridge containing four or more fuel cell stacks, with associated fuel, oxidant and coolant entry and exit manifolds, support plates, electrical connections and the like, disposed around a central cooling duct, a removable enclosure or pressure dome, are taught by Kothmann et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,816, and by Westinghouse Electric Corporation brochure: "Gas-Cooled Fuel Cell Power Plants For The 80s", October 1980, Frontiers Of Power Conference, Oklahoma State University, both herein incorporated by reference. These fuel cell stacks must be remanufactured periodically, due to, for example, catalyst degradation within the anodes and cathodes of the plurality of individual fuel cells making up the stacks.
The fuel cell modules are located at the power plant site. A 7.5 MW power plant would contain about 20 fuel cell modules, each module containing four, 2.4 meter (8 foot) high fuel cell stacks, containing about 420 fuel cells per stack, enclosed by a 3.6 meter (12 foot) high, 1.5 meter (5 foot) in diameter, removable dome. The dome would weigh about 1091 kg (2,400 pounds) and the four fuel cell stacks used per module would have a total weight of about 2,727 Kg (6,000 pounds). The fuel cell stacks must be removed from the plant, transported, perhaps a thousand miles or more, remanufactured at a factory location, transported back, and then reinstalled at the plant site.
Transporting an entire fuel cell module, including all bottom attachments to gas inlet and exit conduits, having a total weight of about 5,454 kg (12,000 pounds) is needlessly expensive in terms of shipping cost, and such a module presents major problems of detachment from and reattachment to gas inlet and exit conduits, which in the case of cooling air, are of large diameter. Additionally, when the fuel cells are of the highly concentrated phosphoric acid type, i.e., above about 70% concentration, temperatures of about 38.degree. C. (100.degree. F.) must be maintained to prevent phosphoric acid crystallization, and a resulting loss of performance when the fuel cells are operated in the power plant.
The fuel cell modules would be out of doors and exposed to the elements. In the northwest, northeast, and central plains of the United States, the modules would be subject to freezing temperatures and snow in the winter time, making the required 38.degree. C. temperature difficult to maintain during at least one third of the year.
What is needed is a means to transport fuel cell stacks or modules that would: minimize transportation costs, provide features for ease of lifting, handling and tie down during transportation, simplify the disconnection and reconnection of the module to the gas connections at the site, and most importantly, provide thermal protection during shipping so that the electrolyte does not crystallize.